Newton’s Laws of Motion

December 11, 2016

Share this with your TEAM:

A body at rest will remain at rest

I’ve always longed for the safety in repetition. I saw the beauty in my weekly routine: Monday nights staying in for Game of Thrones; baristas serving up my “usual” at Starbucks; the perpetual coming and going of the train as I made my way to class. The formula remained the same, and that was that.

Game of Thrones. Starbucks. Train.

I think it was Newton, or my Physics professor, or Chicken Soup for the Repeater who said, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” Thing is, I never expected a different result. From the x number of times that I sought refuge in my routine, I grew more and more comfortable with clockwork. I had fallen in love with monotony.

A body at rest will remain at rest, unless acted upon by an external force

The night we first met, thanks to our mutual friend, Tinder, we spontaneously went to Tagaytay. One minute, we were shaking hands in the lobby of some mall, and next, he was holding my hand as we rode a dilapidated Ferris wheel at a perya. We could’ve died from that ride. But honestly, I wouldn’t mind. He gave me a quick peck on the cheek before dropping me off at home. Before I could even send a broadcast message to my friends saying that I was in love, he texted. “See you soon ;)”

The body had found its external force.

But fuck, he was more than just some force pushing me from Point A to Point B. Following our first date, we continued traveling together. He took me to uncharted territory. Every date was another mountain, beach, or forest to explore. Repetition and routine had become less comfortable.

And then he left.

Not for a hike, not for a trip that wound its way back to me. The night he left, we just sat in front of each other at some restaurant in
the South. There was stasis. We laughed, drank wine, and reminisced about our travels as if they were from some distant past. But all those memories came with ones of us fighting, too many to mention. I discovered then that distance could exist between two people sitting so close to one another. Before the night ended, I saw it coming. We just couldn’t get the equation right. And so he left for another adventure.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

I started traveling alone. Perhaps remaining in motion would prevent me from pausing to think of him, of how he always held my hand at the top of every mountain, of how he always took a photo of me from behind as we made our way through the trail, of how I could easily doze off in the safety of his arms after a long day on our feet. However, the world would probably run out of mountain trails before I could manage the gravity of his departure.

But after a few more hikes, and a lot of ugly crying in public transport, I found excitement in traveling again. At one point, you realize there is beauty in the loud splash you hear before being completely submerged in fresh ocean water, in the crackling sound of a campfire as you toast skewered marshmallows, in the cold breeze that swallows you whole when you make it to the top of the mountain; an accomplishment you can take full credit for.

I’m sticking to this route. Besides, who knows what one can run into out here.

A body in motion will remain in motion, unless acted upon by an external force.

SHOP

About Team

TEAM tackles how gay Filipino men relate their identity, from fuckups to fantasies, to where to go for music you can actually dance to. We may not have proper rights in our country but we’re claiming some authority by getting our words and ideas on page. And though we lack public places to convene, an open publication (and wide-open digital space) is a good place to start.